One Collector Is Selling Almost the Entire Original TMNT Toy Line for $12,000 (& It Includes Some Seriously Forgotten Figures)

Jumping into toy collecting can be a daunting task when considering you are attempting to track down up to 100 figures if you are determined to complete a collection over time. Yet, there are rare opportunities when you could take the plunge and complete a huge set of action figures in one single swoop if you have the cash to afford it. For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, an eBay listing featuring almost the entire original Playmates toy line is a doorway to an instant collection that would make many long-term collectors just a little jealous and deliver a few grail items in the process. What is more is that it could also be a huge investment opportunity if you are then willing to sift through and add some official grading certificates to find the true worth of the rarest items that people will pay thousands to get their hands on.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are one of several franchises that began life in the late 1980s and became ingrained in pop culture for every generation that followed. From their origins in the comic books of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the four heroes in a half-shell have gone through many iterations including several live-action movies, a forgotten live-action TV series, and multiple animated series. However, for many the animated series that aired between 1987 and 1996 across 10 seasons and 193 episodes stands as one of the best and most complete iterations, automatically making the toy line based on the series one of the most collected and sought after of the last 40 years. That could make one seller’s eBay auction with an asking price of $12,000 for a massive set of classic and rare figures from the collection a very serious consideration for anyone who wants to relive their childhood with a near-complete set of TMNT toys.

The Rarest TMNT Toys Can Make This a Huge Investment

For everyone who remembers characters like Beebop, Rocksteady, Krang and even Mondo Gecko, there are those who have never even seen some of the figures that are featured in this collection. Like most long-running toy lines, the length of time between the first and last waves of Playmates’ TMNT figures ran long enough to see the children who were at a prime target audience age when the first wave dropped to have grown and moved on by the time the last arrived. That means there are some obscure rarities in this collection that make its asking price seem quite reasonable. Although none of the figures are as scarce as Scratch the Cat, one of the ultimate franchise grails which can alone command upwards of $5,000, there are other obscure characters like Wyrm, and several Turtle crossover figures.

Of course, the crazy mutants of the TV series and main toy line were nothing compared to those sub-lines that were created in an attempt to keep the money rolling in. As well as a crossover with Universal Monsters – something that has in recent years been replicated by NECA’s line of TMNT collector’s figures – which saw the turtles become classic movie monsters like the Wolfman and the Mummy, there were several waves dedicated to taking the core four turtles and giving them zany make-overs with sports themes, a wild west look, and even furry-haired Troll Turtles. None of these later crossovers did anything to stop the decline in sales of the franchise at the time, but has created some of the most valuable figures for modern collectors, including the likes of Slam Dunkin’ Don, a Donatello variant that can sell for five-figure sums in mint condition. $12,000 may seem like a lot to shell out in one go. The set does has not been sold at the time of writing.

Would you consider buying a vintage toy collection, or do you still own your original toys? Let us know in the comments.